


Shelter in the Storm

by hwy_unicorn



Category: Bates Motel (2013)
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Alex is protective as always, F/M, Fluff, Norma is definitely scared of storms and I refuse to debate this, Norma's so baby in this, but its sweet, this is before they get together though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28206570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hwy_unicorn/pseuds/hwy_unicorn
Summary: Alex tried to think back to a time that Norma had shared this much with him before, but came up empty. Norma must’ve realized it as well, eyes meeting his, a flicker of regret in her gaze. He reached out to her before he could stop himself, his fingers brushing against hers, before he turned his palm upwards, intertwining their fingers. She glanced down at their hands, entwined together, his thumb just barely brushing over her knuckles, so gentle that she almost didn’t feel it. She did feel it though, because how could she not have felt one of the kindest touches another man had ever graced her with?Norma is scared of a storm and Alex provides her with much needed comfort
Relationships: Norma Bates/Alex Romero
Comments: 11
Kudos: 20





	Shelter in the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This story takes place shortly after the pair of them are married, before they actually get together! Please let me know what you think!!

Storms are heavy. Cumulus clouds can weigh up to nearly a million pounds, the weight fluctuating depending on the amount of water it’s holding. No one ever really thinks about it, considering rain falls in tiny droplets and not all at once. Norma thinks that more people would consider rain a danger if the water fell in a heavy flood, but it doesn’t and most people are reasonable enough to know that it probably never will. Norma, however, has never been a reasonable woman, and the rain crushing her to death was just one of her many worries when it came to stormy nights. She could usually find solace by climbing into bed with Norman, sure that he could protect her from any weight of water that may fall. 

But Norman wasn’t here, and Norma was alone. Well, not completely, as Alex was just down the hall, but it wasn’t like she could go to him for comfort. Sure, they were married now, but it’s not like it was  _ real _ , perhaps on paper maybe, but not in any other way. There were lines that shouldn’t be crossed no matter how scared she was, so she’d just have to push through her fears.

Lightning lit up her room again, and she childishly threw the blankets over her head, and plugged her ears. She was hoping to block out the sound of thunder that would soon follow, but it didn’t do much as the house shook with the sound. Norma sighed, climbing out of bed and making her way downstairs. It became quite clear that sleep wouldn’t visit her tonight, so she decided to make herself some tea and attempt to relax a little.

_ Easier said than done when your entire house feels like it could fall apart. _

As her tea heated on the stove, she plopped down into the small nook by the window, peering out as the rain fell relentlessly against it. She couldn’t see the pit from all this way, but she was sure it was flooded by now and the thought stressed her out more than the sight of her drowned flowers right outside. Why did she think running a motel would be easy?

After her tea was poured, she settled back into the nook, legs curled up and a wool knitted blanket wrapped snugly around her. 

“Can’t sleep Mrs. Romero?” The scorching tea sloshed out the side of her cup and down her arm as she flinched from Alex’s sudden voice.

“Sorry!” he laughed, grabbing some paper towels and wiping her arm. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Well you did!” 

She snatched the paper towels from him, rubbing uselessly at her newly stained pajama shirt, a pout forming on her lips as she realized the stain probably wouldn’t come out. Alex rolled his eyes fondly, unable to hide his smile as she shoved the paper towels back into his hand angrily. Before he could walk away, a sudden burst of thunder had Norma dropping her cup, the last bit of tea spilling and soaking her pajamas and blanket in the process. He couldn’t help the surprised burst of laughter that escaped him and she whipped her head around to glare haughtily at him.

“I’m glad this is so funny to you!” she snapped, throwing the blanket off of her and standing to clean the mess. She looked entirely ridiculous, and entirely too adorable, as she stomped around the kitchen in her soaked pajamas and fuzzy little socks, huffing and puffing the entire time. Alex caught her by the arm as she stormed past him to clean up more, taking the towels gently from her hand.

“I’ll clean this up,” he reassured, his tone patient. Her eyes softened just a little, tenseness escaping her. “You go change. I’ll make some more tea too.”

She sighed, glancing nervously towards the stairs, before casting her gaze back up to his kind eyes. It’s not that Norma didn’t appreciate his offer, but to go upstairs, in the dark, alone, on a stormy night? It sounded entirely too much for her. He could sense her reluctance, and had already put the pieces together in his head. She probably would never admit it- Norma was never one to admit to anything after all- but she was scared of the storm. Alex found it almost funny; that this vociferous force of a woman was scared of something as harmless as a thunderstorm.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

She gave him a pointed look, as if he was being absurd about his assumption. “Why would you do that?”

Her mood swings gave him whiplash. Her defensiveness was always lurking under the surface, showing itself in the most erratic of moments, even towards his kind offer of comfort. “Well,” he shrugged. “I mean no offense but you look terrified.”

She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him another harsh glare. “I am not terrified.”

He knew it to be best to not get caught up in such petty little squabbles, so he shrugged. “Okay then. Go change.”

He didn’t think she could do it, and she knew it, the smug smile on his face telling her that this was indeed a challenge.

“Fine. I will,” she stormed off towards the stairs, and for a moment, Alex thought he had lost whatever little argument this was, until she stopped at the bottom step. Norma gripped the railing, puffing out a nervous breath, before glancing helplessly back at her ever so smug husband.

“Would you like me to come with you?” he offered again, his complacent attitude disappearing at the moping look on her face.

She wrung her hands together nervously, before nodding, offering an apologetic smile and half shrug.

“Alright, let’s go Mrs. Sheriff,” he placed a hand on the small of her back, giving her a gentle shove up the stairs.

Any nervousness she had earlier had vanished, her entire being comforted simply by his kind voice and compassionate touch that he offered. She had always felt safe with Alex, perhaps not at first, but there had been a shift somewhere in their relationship, although it was unclear where. At some point though, the tension she had once felt while talking to him had dissipated, replaced with a more excitable, yet serene feeling. And at some point, the displeased look that she had once seen in his eyes was gone, instead a calm, almost content gaze taking its place. So many things had changed since that moment they met on her motel porch, things that she wished could have been different, but things that had led them up to this point. The pair of them, husband and wife. Alex kissing her not once, but twice the day of their wedding, gently leading her up the stairs hours after, in the dark after she had gotten too drunk to walk herself, and again tonight but for a different reason.

He waited patiently outside the door as she changed, throwing her stained clothes into a nearby hamper and rustling through drawers to find something just as warm. The winter in White Pine Bay wasn’t terrible, but it was still cold, and the heater in this old house was a finicky thing. Her satin slips and silk robes wouldn’t do it for tonight, though she didn’t own much else. She settled on a longer nightgown that fell just below her knees; the sleeves long enough to keep her arms warm, and since she still had her socks it actually wasn’t too chilly. As Norma was pulling the nightgown over her head, the lights around her suddenly flickered, before fizzling out completely, thunder rumbling low in the distance.

Panic rose in her chest and she stumbled towards the door. “Alex?” she threw the door open, crashing straight into him.

“I’m right here, you okay?” he asked, holding her arms to steady her.

She nodded, eyes darting around the darkened hallway. “What happened?”

“Just a power outage,” he shrugged, moving towards the stairs. “We can grab some candles or flashlights or-” she grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt. “or something.”

“O-Okay. Okay, um,” she walked closely behind him, fingers tightening onto his sleeve. “They’re in the basement- just be careful on the steps!”

They moved down the stairs at a snail’s pace, Norma clinging onto him and refusing to let go the entire way down. She would’ve been more embarrassed if it wasn’t for her fear of the storm and the unlit house clouding her thoughts.

“You don’t own a single flashlight?” Alex asked, somewhat teasingly, as he rummaged through the boxes in her basement.

“There should be one down here somewhere,” had she left it in the pit? “I found the candles though.”

“I think that should be good enough,” Alex sighed. “I’m buying you a flashlight though. You need to have one, you know.”

She rolled her eyes. “I have one somewhere.”

He huffed a laugh, shooting her a look as he put another box back onto one of the metal shelves. “Yeah well, you kinda need to know where it is,” he peeked inside the little basket that rested next to her toolbag. “You know, in case-” he froze.

“What? What is it?”

He wasn’t sure what it was, but the sight of Norma’s small handgun in the basket next to a pair of scissors made his blood run cold as he thought of all the possibilities that could’ve put those objects in there together. The only scenario that made the most sense was the one of that night that Norma had left him that horrifying voice message. Was she the one with the gun or the scissors? Alex knew either way that if it came down to it, Norma wouldn’t use either against her son, and the thought that he could’ve found her dead terrified him. 

He held up the gun. “Why do you have this?” Panicked, Norma made a move to grab it, but he held it just out of her reach, eyebrows raising. “What is this doing here Norma?”

“I must’ve misplaced it, that was a mistake,” she reached for it again, though he wouldn’t let her take it. “Alex give it to me.”

He stared at her a moment longer, hoping for the truth to just spill out. “Did Norman have this?” she opened her mouth to no doubt defend her son, but he held up a hand, stopping her. “Norma, don’t lie to me. Did Norman have this that night you called me?”

She looked up at him, tears lining her blue doe eyes as her lip quivered. “He wouldn’t have hurt me,” she said definitively. “Okay? So just- just give me the gun and I’ll put it away.”

He had a certain look in his eye that she couldn’t quite place, and she wondered if it was a mistake admitting to him that Norman did in fact have her gun. And though she told Alex that Norman wouldn’t have hurt her, she wasn’t entirely sure that was true. He wasn’t himself that night, and Norma truly did fear of him turning that gun on her. She certainly couldn’t admit that to Alex though.

He decided to drop it, against his better judgement, and just hope that Norma would tell him everything at some point in time. Norman was away in Pineview, so there was no need for Alex to press this conversation any more. He handed her the gun, and she slipped it into the box with the little tea light candles.

“Let’s go light these.”

They both let the conversation go, the atmosphere returning to the easy, lightheartedness that was so rare for the pair of them. Norma sat back in the nook as Alex lit the candles, placing them strategically around the kitchen to provide some sort of light.

“There,” he set the last candle in the middle of the dining room table. “Good enough?”

“Yeah, it’s perfect,” she smiled. “Thank you by the way,” her voice was quiet, almost shy. “You didn’t have to help me.”

Alex only shrugged. “I didn’t want you to be scared.”

Norma flushed, butterflies erupting in her tummy at his sentiment. Alex Romero could be a truly sweet man when he wanted to be, and Norma wondered how many others saw this side of him. Had he ever had a girlfriend while she was here? Not any that she could remember, unless he was very good at hiding her. Then again, if he did, he’d probably live with her after his house burned down, and not at Norma’s motel for three months. He’d also probably call his girlfriend when he was drunk at that bar, instead of Norma. So no, he probably hadn’t had a girlfriend in quite a while, which seemed like quite a shame, considering he was a truly good man. Not that Norma liked him like  _ that _ , not at all.

Lightning lit up the room, providing more light than the candles could, before it faded, thunder echoing immediately after, and that familiar anxiety that Norma felt earlier was back. Alex glanced back at her from the stove, eyes raking over her shaking form and comically wide eyes. He poured both of them tea, and made his way over, handing her a cup as he peered out the window.

“It doesn’t look too bad out there,” he said, in what he hoped was a reassuring way.

“Are you kidding?” Norma sighed. “Look at it, it’s practically a flood!”

He spared another glance down at her, sighing. He was moving before he could give his decision another thought, nudging her legs with his hand. “Alright, move over.”

“What are-”

“Just move,” he huffed, and she quickly rearranged her stretched out legs, curling them back up to her chest, moving the blanket to make room.

They didn’t both fit very well, but he managed to squeeze his way into the small nook across from her. Norma couldn’t help but blush just a little as their bare legs made contact under the blanket, but there wasn’t room for him to move so she didn’t comment. She fiddled nervously with her cup, watching as he settled in and sipped at his tea. Maybe this wasn’t  _ too _ bad. It was silent for a while, neither really knowing what to say to one another. They never got many moments of tranquility in each other’s presence, so it was safe to say that this silence was just a little awkward.

Alex finally spoke up. “Why are you so scared of storms?”

It sounded accusing, and he gave her an almost guilty smile, letting her know he hadn’t meant it like that. Norma didn’t notice his tone though, shrugging in reply. “I don’t know. They’re… loud.”

“You’re loud,” he countered playfully, and she rolled her eyes, unable to hide the small quirk of a smile.

“Yeah, well,” she shrugged. “The lightning could strike the house.”

He snorted. “Norma, come on. The chances of that happening are like- like one in a billion-”

“One in two hundred, actually,” she replied, refusing to look at him. She felt like a child all of the sudden, being scolded for her silly fears, though she knew Alex wasn’t really scolding her. “I know it’s silly but-”

“I’m not saying it’s silly Norma. I-I just don’t think you have much to worry about.”

It grew silent again, and Alex got the feeling that he said something very wrong. He knew he had to tread carefully with Norma, but he always seemed to say the wrong thing, either leading to a blow-up or the silent treatment. It seemed to be the latter this time.

Alex opened his mouth to apologize, but Norma was speaking before he could. “I just... have always been alone,” it almost sounded like she was about to cry. “No one’s ever comforted me, or-or protected me, besides Norman of course, but not when I was a little girl. Not when I needed it the most,” this was about more than the storm, and they both knew it.

Alex tried to think back to a time that Norma had shared this much with him before, but came up empty. Norma must’ve realized it as well, eyes meeting his, a flicker of regret in her gaze. He reached out to her before he could stop himself, his fingers brushing against hers, before he turned his palm upwards, intertwining their fingers. She glanced down at their hands, entwined together, his thumb just barely brushing over her knuckles, so gentle that she almost didn’t feel it. She did feel it though, because how could she not have felt one of the kindest touches another man had ever graced her with?

“I’m sorry,” he spoke quietly. Their eyes met, blue to brown, an unknown feeling held between the gaze. “I… I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you Norma.”

She had a feeling that he was talking about more than the storm, but the sentiment was just the same. Norma blinked back her tears, and turned to look out the window once more, her fingers tightening her grip on him just momentarily, before their eyes locked again. There was a brief flicker of uncertainty in her eyes as she watched him, but then it was gone as if it was never there in the first place, and she was moving before she could change her mind.

She let his hand go, sliding across the small space in the nook resting her body against his in some sort of awkward hug. Alex didn’t mind it though, his hand resting on her back and pulling her just a bit closer, so she was almost on his lap, her head resting in the crook of his neck. Norma breathed out a sigh, the tension leaving her body. Why did this feel so… right, as if her body was made to be with his?

“Am I keeping you up?” Norma asked quietly, her warm breath feeling a little too nice against his neck.

“No. No, I- I start late tomorrow anyways.”

He hesitated, before his fingers came up to stroke her blonde curls, afraid to overstep any boundaries. She didn’t mind though, she was actually pleasantly surprised at how  _ comfortable _ she felt in his arms. It was almost like she was protected from any and everything that could hurt her, sheltered simply by his touch.

“You’ve always protected me,” she spoke so quietly that Alex wouldn’t be able to hear it if she wasn’t pressed so close against him. “And I… I don’t always say it but I do appreciate it.”

“I know… Norma. I know.”

Norma was unsure about it at first, living together that is, but perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad. If this is what living together entailed, then she could get used to it. She could get used to more, if she was being quite honest, but this? This was fine for now. Excellent actually.


End file.
